Grocery store employees weathered pandemonium

Grocery store employees say life has almost returned to normal, after crowds filled stores to stock up on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, meat and other items early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

They also say they don’t feel as worried about catching the virus.

“At the outset of the pandemic, it was scarier. I would say the associates were scared,” said Jamie Singleton, assistant manager of the Dierbergs, 860 Arnold Commons, Arnold. “At the very beginning, we had some (employees) stay out because of health concerns. For a while, it was difficult to hire people. But, staffing has been pretty stable. We’ve done some hiring. It’s definitely better now.”

Singleton acknowledged she worked long, hard hours during the first few months of the pandemic.

“I put in a lot of extra hours at the beginning,” she said. “We had a lot of staff out for preventative reasons or for getting tested. We’re pretty well back to normal hours at this point.”

She said the early raids on high-demand items eventually subsided.

“Customers have been cooperative,” said Singleton, 36, of Arnold. “For the most part, people have been respectful of employees and other customers.”

She said Dierbergs has taken many steps to protect the public’s health in its stores. “We invested in one of those sprayers that spray disinfectant,” she said. “We still spray the handles of doors on the hour. We disinfect the carts. We were the first to put in Plexiglas.”

Store had to close salad bars due to COVID concerns, but the store utilized the area for other purposes.

“We wanted to be creative with it,” Singleton said. “We’ve used it for a chile bar (display). We’ve used it for a tiki bar, where we displayed all kinds of mixed drink mixes.”

Singleton said she feels better times are ahead.

“I want to say, personally, I’m more optimistic with everyone getting the vaccines,” she said. “There’s more of a feeling of an end in sight.”

John’s Butcher Shoppee

Tom Kolisch, owner of John’s Butcher Shoppee, 503 N. Mill St., in Festus said he and his staff worked endlessly for months during the pandemic when meat seemed to be flying off the shelves everywhere.

“When the pandemic first started, we were extremely busy,” said Kolisch of Arnold. “It was almost 24-7 to keep product in stock and to keep it cut. That went to, probably, September-October, when it started to slow down a little.

“We doubled the business we normally do during the pandemic. I think we’ve kept that business. We added three (employees) and we’ve kept two of them. Right now, we have a staff of seven.”

Kolisch said his business has adhered to all health agency regulations regarding COVID.

“We’ve done extra sanitizing and constant cleaning,” he said. “The mask wearing was a little tough to breathe. We all made it through, though.”

Kolisch said a positive from the pandemic for many was rediscovering the benefits of home-cooked meals.

“More people are eating at home with the family, where it’s more of an event,” he said. “A steak at home is a lot cheaper and better than a restaurant.”

Kolisch said his spirits never waned during the pandemic; he merely adapted.

“It was just a new way to be: Stay 6 feet apart, wear a mask and all that,” he said.

Schnucks

Shelley Moorer, store manager of the Festus Schnucks, 1181 W. Gannon Drive, recalls how busy she and her staff were during the pandemic’s early months.

“I have never experienced anything like this before in my professional experience,” said Moorer, 46, of Hillsboro. “At the beginning of the pandemic, we were working every day, long hours, 10 to 12 hours per day. Normally, it would be a five-day week, 40 hours. We had to constantly refill the shelves.

“It calmed down. We’ve returned to our normal hours.”

Paul Simon, a spokesman for Schnucks, compared the early months of the pandemic to other times when hordes of shoppers descended on stores.

“Everyday sales were more like a holiday and a snow scare combined,” he said.

Moorer said shoppers bought many items in mass quantities.

“I think a lot of people were stocking up not just on toilet paper and paper towels, but they were stocking up their pantries,” she said. “It was three or four months before it calmed down.”

Simon said, “We could add cleaning supplies.”

Moorer said staffing has not been a problem at her store.

“There have been some employees who were afraid to come to work, but most people worked their shifts,” she said.

“I will say we’ve taken a lot of safety measures – wearing masks; we’ve installed Plexiglas. We’re taking their temperatures. We’re asking a series of questions (in health) when they come into work.”

Moorer said customers generally go along with health agency directives.

“Overall, our customers are complying with them,” she said. “A lot of our customers thank us daily for our safety measures.”